JON Emmett, a member at Castle Cove Sailing Cub, has returned from Hyeres, in the South of France, after successfully def-ended his Apprentice Masters (35 to 45-years-old) world crown.

This was the same title that the 37-year-old won last year in Oman at the biggest Laser World Championships in history.

More than 500 boats took part across the different age groups which saw some competitors braving the testing conditions in their eighties.

The conditions this year were very different from last year with strong winds for most of the week.

This made it a tough physical challenge and with seven days of racing, it was a hard regatta for Emmett who gave away several kilograms of bodyweight to his nearest rivals.

This was very different from the mental challenge the light winds of Oman posed last year.

Just like last year, Emmett had a difficult first day scoring an eighth, his worst result of the championships in the first race and with a dying wind and only one race sailed, it was a very frustrating start to the event.

However, he fought back with a win in race two and followed it with a second place to grab the lead after the three races.

The strong wind remained for the next three days, with Emmett grabbing a first and a second every day for the next three days but he was not having it all his own way.

Scott Leith, a previous four- time Apprentice Masters world champion from New Zealand matched Emmett, also scoring a first and second every day but Emmett had the upper hand with four firsts and four seconds to Leith’s four firsts and three seconds (he had to count a fourth).

Going into the final race of the championships, it was between Emmett and Leith.

With the two worst scores discarded from the series, Emmett was in control as he could discard the result of the last race and stay two points in front of Leith, as long as Leith didn’t finish better than fourth.

Emmett took no chances. He started by Leith and pushed him down the fleet, with both sailors well behind the race leaders.

Emmett finished fourth and with Leith out of the top 10, the championships was definitely Emmetts.

The Weymouth sailor returns to Hyeres next April for the French World Cup Regatta where he will be coaching the Israeli Radial team in an effort to qualify them for the 2016 Olympics.